Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s electoral commission has set December 25 as the new date for Mogadishu’s first one-person-one-vote local elections, after a delay that deepened mistrust between officials and opposition parties.
The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) says residents of the Banaadir region will elect a new city council in a direct ballot across Mogadishu’s 16 districts, a pilot many see as a landmark break from clan-based power-sharing.
Commission chair Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan urged voters to collect their cards and prepare to turn out on December 25, saying the poll will “allow Mogadishu residents to pick their local leaders with one person, one vote” for the first time in decades.
His appeal builds on an October voter list for Banaadir that allowed residents to challenge or correct their details before polling day.
He said 61 registered political associations can field candidates and campaign until voting day, giving residents of the crowded capital a wide choice of candidates.
New date after the delay
The commission had originally pencilled in November 30 for the citywide vote, after earlier signalling that Banaadir would host a late-year one-person-one-vote election.
In October, Abdikarim publicly cast the November poll as Somalia’s first full test of the new system in Mogadishu.
That plan slipped as officials struggled to finalise logistics and preparations.
Election staff still needed time to complete training, print and move materials, and run final checks on voter registration data, Abdikarim told reporters at the commission’s headquarters in Mogadishu.
He said the new date reflects “practical realities on the ground” but insisted the body now has a clear calendar and the political will to keep it.
The chairman also used the announcement to mark one year since the current commission took office, after Abdikarim was elected chair of the then-new body in late 2024.
He said commissioners have spent much of that time designing rules, mapping constituencies, and building the machinery needed for direct local polls.
Parties challenge the process
Many political associations, however, say the commission has not done enough to earn their trust.
Several groups accuse the NIEBC of working too closely with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s allies and of failing to consult parties on key decisions regarding the timetable and procedures.
They question whether all 61 associations enjoy the same access to voter data, polling logistics, and media coverage, even as candidates plaster posters on walls and hold rallies across Mogadishu’s districts.
Opposition figures argue that repeated schedule changes have already hurt confidence in the process and risk confusing voters, especially people taking part in a one-person-one-vote election for the first time.
The commission rejects those accusations and says it is operating under tight budgets and heavy pressure to deliver.
Earlier this month, Abdikarim warned about inadequate funding, saying the body had not received all the money it was promised but would still press ahead with its mandate.
He has called on parties and candidates to follow the rules and sign an agreed code of conduct for the campaign and polling day.
Test for one-person-one-vote
Beyond the wrangling over dates, the Mogadishu ballot is meant to test a model Somalia has not used nationwide for more than half a century.
For years, national leaders have relied on indirect elections decided by clan elders and power brokers. Villa Somalia now wants the capital to show a different path, where ordinary residents choose local leaders directly.
Federal officials present the Banaadir vote as a first step towards wider local and national elections before 2026, when the president says he wants to seek a more direct mandate.
Yet influential players remain unconvinced. Federal member states such as Jubbaland and Puntland, along with the opposition alliance National Salvation Forum, have rejected parts of the electoral roadmap and the constitutional changes behind it.
They warn that Mogadishu cannot simply set rules for the whole country and then export them without broad agreement.
Supporters of the December 25 plan argue that a peaceful, credible vote in Mogadishu’s 16 districts would still mark a historic shift away from the old system, even if the process is imperfect.
If the NIEBC manages to run a calm poll and thousands of Mogadishu residents cast ballots for the first time, it will strengthen the case for expanding direct elections beyond the capital.
If it stumbles again, the new date could instead highlight how fragile Somalia’s electoral experiment remains — and how far the country still has to go before one-person-one-vote becomes the norm rather than the exception.
